John Strubbe, FE

71st SOS, Nha Trang, 1969

Versailles, Indiana was my birthplace in May 1946. I graduated from Versailles High School and attended the University of Cincinnati at Cincinnati, Ohio. I joined the Air Force to have some war stories to tell when I got older.

I was a reservist assigned to the 71st Tactical Airlift Group at Bakalar AFB, Indiana when the unit was activated on 13 May 1968. The unit transferred to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio on 11 June 1968 where we began the transition from cargo C-119Gs to AC-119G gunships. I was assigned to aircraft ferry crew #3 piloted by Lt. Col. Larry Shinnick. We departed St. Augustine, Florida on 29 January 1969 and arrived at Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam on 2 March 1969. After arriving in country I was assigned to crew #24 at Nha Trang, Loman Miller’s crew. I returned home to Bakalar AFB with the other reservists on 6 June 1969.